Hospitality Design - May 2013 - 212

special

feature

lighting

2. Brian Orter Lighting
Design handled the
elegant lighting at the
downstairs lounge in
Mihoko’s 21 Grams in
New York.

drivers is critical for meeting the needs of the populous. Besides cultural
considerations, factoring in the climatic aspects is equally important in
developing appropriate lighting solutions locally. Several of the rapidly
developing parts of the world have substantially different climates than
Europe and most parts of North America. Fixtures or lighting systems
that have essentially been developed for the milder climes will not perform
as well with the aggressive climates of the Middle East, South Asia, or
Southeast Asia. The metrics of measurement and the standards must
be updated.

Paul Gregory: The bar has been raised in lighting design. The clients are

more knowledgeable about good design than ever before. Just look at the
iPhone or the Mini Cooper. Great design sells. The clients are aware of
good and bad lighting and can tell when the angle is too flat or the color
temperature too high. They want to patronize places where they look good
and the light is flattering.

Brian Orter: I shy away from the word ‘trend’ in lighting design. There
is an instinctual desire to use new technology and call it a trend in this
business. Lighting design is built into the space and environment, not
applied. So trends for me are the same as they are in the interior design
world. I see a lot of perforated metals, Corten steel, blackened steel, warm
grays, and bookmatched marble. I also see a return to wood and natural
elements—lots of wood slat shutters, large pieces of glass—and some
pops of color here and there. Contrary to what some of the new lighting
technologies provide, clients are asking for warmer, more incandescent
colors of light—difficult to achieve with LED and other ‘green’ products.
I have also been using architectural elements and decoration to reflect

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light to warm up the space. Controlling the light by reflecting it off fabrics,
marbles, and other surfaces is how I achieve the look we want while still
being efficient. There is, fortunately, a recent aversion to color changing.
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

We have noticed lighting installations are increasingly taking
center stage at hotels and restaurants. Why do you think
that is?
Brian Orter: Lighting is very tricky. It’s abstract, intangible, and there are
so many variables that collide to make it succeed or fail. The trick is to
think about the story we are all trying to tell. What is the point of view? I
think of the design team as producers, directors, set designers. I also think
strongly about the shadows. Where are the shadows? How dark will they
be? How do I make the space look like a movie set but also feel like home?
The focus on lighting has been cyclical over the centuries. Stained glass,
large skylights, gas lanterns were carefully placed and filtered for better
color and low glare. In the 1930s, South Beach made neon glam and lit
up the hotel experience like it had never been seen before. The current
attention we receive is partly credited to Ian Schrager’s obsessive focus
on the art of lighting in the 1990s and how it makes or breaks a space.
Hoteliers and designers make the mistake of not hiring a lighting designer
once, then they see the success of projects like the Ace Hotel in New
York, the W South Beach, Public in Chicago (not one of my designs), and
realize it’s the missing ingredient that brings it all together. I’ve worked on
Stephen Starr’s last six restaurants. We spend days sitting at every table
going over light levels, color, and dozens of other elements. We will sit in a
space and watch the room as the sun sets, and form scenes that transition
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